Cities worldwide reimpose lockdowns
As COVID cases surge
NEW DELHI (Reuters) — The northern Indian state of Bihar, which has a population of 125 million, has been ordered into a new 15-day lockdown to coronavirus, joining states and cities around the globe that have reintroduced restrictions in recent days to combat fresh resurgence of COVID-19.
Since Saturday, Bihar has recorded over 1,000 cases each day despite limited testing.
Nearly 2.5 million poor migrant workers who were stranded during India’s initial nationwide lockdown have returned to the state after losing their jobs in large cities.
Meanwhile, Spain’s populous Catalonia region made a fresh attempt on Tuesday to put an area of 160,000 people under lockdown to stem the latest local coronavirus surge in one of Europe’s worst-affected nations, which had thought the crisis was ending.
Having suffered more than 28,400 deaths, tourism-dependent Spain brought the epidemic largely under control through a tough national lockdown that was lifted on June 21.
However, since then, more than 170 local outbreaks have been detected, with 120 still active — including a worrying one around the Catalan city of Lleida.
Meanwhile in Australia, residents of Melbourne were warned yesterday to comply with lockdown regulations or face tougher restrictions. Melbourne’s five million people and part of the city’s semi-rural surroundings are a week into a new, six-week lockdown to contain a new outbreak there.
Meanwhile, renewed restrictions took effect in Hong Kong yesterday, with public gatherings limited to four people, restaurants restricted to takeout after 6 p.m., and a one-week closure for gyms, karaoke bars, and selected other businesses.
Meanwhile, about 100 infections on US military bases on the southern island of Okinawa prompted Gov. Denny Tamaki to demand the US military to seal off the affected bases. The US military said the bases have been placed under a lockdown.